Thirteen. Mother's Cut

   Its the drowning. This is near death taste. Cut limbs. Sliced heart. Heavy breathing. Filled lungs. Spurs of coughs. She's flying down the stairs, nearly missing the last two steps. She almost sprains an ankle. The yells and slams of glass echo the house, Vera shakes as she reaches the first floor. Hands to her ears as she yells, she cries.

   What does she do now?

  She's soaked. Clothes stuck to skin. Hair plastered like wet paint. It paints her, entirely. She still can't fucking breathe. The yells get louder. Diane gets angrier. Diane is coming to get her. There is a cut on her hairline. She runs, she runs out the house into the street. She leaves the front door open. She still doesn't know where to go.

Now, Vera doesn't remember where she went the night her mother tried to drown her in the tub nearly two years ago because she was that drunk. And Vera looks too much like Blue Stonem. What Vera does know is that throwing herself into Poseidon's home and following after a teenage boy does trigger her mind and those locked memories. She nearly locks up as she slips through the barrier of normal to insane.

It's gross. Skin coated in a gooey substance and mixed with the tears and death of Lovers Lake.

  She's coughing religiously. It won't stop. Her vision is blurry and she feels sick to the first layer of her bones. "S-Steve!" It doesn't come out as loud as she'd want it too. The floor under her is grey and ashy, it burns her knees from the drop. A hand claws at her chest, leaving red welts and she pushes herself up, wobbling a little. "Steve!"

   She has to squint to look around. It's like ear singling in on one noise only, because suddenly she can hear the noises that echo the shady area. The yells of a boy you love, makes you choke on black ichor.

  From behind her she hears a gasp that emerges into the insane, Nancy.

  Vera's eyes single in on an boat oar, it's aged but her hands grab and she runs. She can spot Steve's form, and he looks like he's a gods dinner. A bunch of power hungry gods bearing down on a boy who is scared to open his eyes most mornings of the week.

  Vera gasps as she launches the oar into the creatures on one of Steve's sides. The creature cries and does a fail fly, Vera stabs at it again and it screeches. The noise brings a chill to her skin.

  More creatures go flying off Steve. Nancy beating down at them too, "hey, there." Vera goes for another one that comes close, oar nearly slipping from her damp palms. Robin joins, with the power of her wedged foot and covered flashlight. Eddie appears too, doing the same with his barely white shoes.

  Vera is counting lily pads behind her eyes, she cannot panic now.

  The creatures screech like broken records.

People talk, Vera can't hear. Her eyes can only focus on the demon around Steve's neck. She is not in her body, she knows her arms are moving and slamming down at the creature as Nancy yells. But she does not realize what she's doing. She just stares at Steve. His balloon eyes and purple ish lips, his clawing hands, red veined features. He will pop.

"Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" Eddie yells.

Steve will pop.

Vera wishes she had drown that night in the tub. The creatures come more, Eddie and Robin fight them off. The one around Steve's neck won't give up.

Vera's oar disappears, and she yells. She's falling back from Steve, demon napping at her hair and marking her bone structure. Eddie yells out. One is on Nancy too, Robin yanks at it. Vera's throat burns like an ancient fire, her scared hands pushing away the creature but it won't budge.

Nancy's knees kiss the ground and Robin slams hells creation.

Eddie snatches at the demon in Vera's face, nearly ripping out a chunk of hair. They both cry with the evil kill.

Vera's yells echo like a ping pong ball in Steve's mind, bouncing off the walls. He now knows what choking to death nearly feels like. His hands crawl at the creature and his own teeth bare. It lets up with a cry; Steve bares down with a cry. Steve makes a show of the demon and it falls quiet.

A quiet of illness.

Nancy and Robin stared wide eye at one another. Eddie stands over a shaking Vera, her eyes are stapled shut and she can feel the blood trickle from her brow bone. Eddie's hands are shaking and littered in cuts, he can feel a slice on his chin.

"Steve, god, are you okay?—"

He doesn't pay mind to Nancy's words. He looks for the girl in the crowd.

Steve is rushing towards Vera before Eddie can ask if she's okay. He doesn't lock into his own pain, he doesn't let it sting as he leans down towards the girl. Gross hands cup her skin, and her eyes fly open. Steve nods too quickly, "there you are."

Vera's lips part, they quiver, but she doesn't end up saying a thing.

She hauls herself into Steve's hold, he holds her tighter and he doesn't feel the way her clothes stab into his missing flesh. His thumb rubs at the blood on her face. A messy line down her left side. Barely missing her eye.

They can't stay here, none of them can.

More demons cry, they circle their exit. They can't beat them.

The comfort of a teenage girl resides in the dead set of woods.

   The creatures cry like children lost of their toys as they pass in a swarm, the five teens hide in the rocky walls of Skull Rock, Upside Down edition. Vera can't seem to focus on the hell around her, her fingertips keep grazing the blood laced cut on her face.

   She flinches as a hand comes around her wrist. Steve wipes her bloody fingers on his ruined pants, he's missing shoes. And socks. Gross. "It's okay. I swear, only about.. three inches long. It doesn't look too deep."

  Vera doesn't sound like Vera. "T-Then why won't it stop bleeding!"

  They all dare to look at her. Steve frowns, her mind is too low right now. His other hand encases another wrist, "Vera. You're okay. It's okay. You understand me?"

  She shakes her head, snatching her touch away from his. She's quick to wobble to her feet, pushing past the rock. Her eyes follow as the demons become smaller with distance.

  The group follows out after her. "That was close." Robin says, shakily. "Yeah." Eddie cries, "too close!"

  And like a kicked domino, Steve tumbles into a rocky wall. "Oh, sh... shit."

  Vera whips around, hands out for the boy. "Steve? Jesus.." It's bad. She knows it's bad. Death is bad. Steve sends the girl a smile of struggle. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Vera gawks at the boy, hands taking his shoulders. "No, you're not. You're losing blood." His eyes meet hers and a hand gently cups his jaw, "take a breather.. isn't that what you always say?Just.. Come on, sit. All right?" The boy comes down to his knees, sounds of pain slip past his lips as he leans back against a rocky wall. The gash in his side oozes and cries.

   Robin gawks as Eddie looks away, "no, thank you.."

  Vera's eyes scan the boys torn waist, she looks down at her own clothing. Denim overalls, with a shirt that's already missing part of its structure from ragged scissors underneath. The girl looks back at Nancy. "Can I borrow some of your shirt?" Nancy nods, quick to help her friends as she tears up her clothing. "Alright. Okay.."

  Robin comes down towards Steve's side, her panic evident, her care even more. "Okay. So the good news is I'm pretty sure wooziness is not a common symptom of rabies. But if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, or something, you should totally let me know.

  Vera turns up the fabric, making it thicker as her eyes water over.

  Steve's gaze turns towards the dirty blonde, Robin?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I kinda wanna punch you."

The girl let's out a weary laugh. "Sense of humor's still intact. That's a good sign."

  Vera's gaze shifts up to the boy. "O-Okay. You ready?" Steve barely nods down towards the girl, jaw clenched. "Yeah. Just do it." The boy leans forward, eyes screwed shut as the material comes around his torn skin. Vera ignores his muffled cries. "Nurse V, at your service.."

  Her voice is a shaky whisper. Steve's eyes peel open and he can't help but crack a smile. Vera ties the knot. "That okay? Is it too tight?"

  "No, that's good. Thank you.." She barely hums, hands under the cloth. They shake against Steve's waist, his hands encase her wrists. "We're okay.." Their voices are mere whispers, and there's a cold chill on the back of Vera's neck. "No, we're not.."

   He doesn't get to question because the girl is helping him up, his weight on her.

   Eddie's voice then sounds out as the Upside Down does too. Everything echos if you're not whispering. "So, uh, this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?" All eyes cast on the boy. "Pretty much."

  "Wait, watch out for the vines. It's all a hive mind."

   "It's all a what?"

   All the creepy crawlies around here, dude. They're, like, one or something. Step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna."

"But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people?"

  "As far as I understand it, yeah."

  "So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate."

  Vera and Steve gawk at Robin. "I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure."

  Nancy then seems to smile. "Well, we don't have to go all the way downtown for guns. I have guns in my bedroom."

  Eddie, who's never seen the Nancy Wheeler live action movie, gawks. "You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom?" Robin laughs, it's an anxious noise. "Full of surprises, isn't she?"

  Nancy hums. "A Russian Makarov and a revolver."

  Vera catches Eddie's wide eyes, the boy is peeling off his jean vest before he passes it to the girl. Vera stares down at it with confusion. Eddie hums, "for your boyfriend's modesty."

   Vera cracks a smile as Steve pulls on the clothing with an eye roll. And the second he's done the Upside Down shakes awake. Vera stumbles back into Steve, a heavy arm draped over her front. Eddie slumps into a rocky wall. Nancy and Robin stumbled into each other. "Shit!"

   "What the hell!"

  No one seems to move as the shaking ends. But chills arise as the baring cry of a creature sounds out. "So guns seem like a pretty good idea to me."

  "Yeah, me too."

  Heavy breaths fill the atmosphere.

   "So," all eyes move to Steve. His hand slipping into Vera's. "—what are we waiting for?" His free hand springs up his flashlight. He leads the way.

The walk in the woods is quiet. There isn't much small talk. Nancy is now leading the way, Robin at her side. Eddie walks alone. Steve and Vera, Vera and Steve. Their hands aren't laced anymore.

Vera just watches the ground as Steve moves around his light. He's a protector, one Vera fears she'll lose. "Steve?" The boy hums, his eyes still casting on their death arena. Vera frowns, gently taking his wrist closest to her. He stops and looks over at the girl. He takes in her facial expression, "what's wrong?"

"I lied to you."

Steve's lips part, he doesn't say a thing. His brows just raise for her to carry on. Vera's eyes move back towards their still slow moving friends, she sighs. "I should've told you earlier.. but I didn't need you to worry anymore than you already do.." Her eyes meet his, and his hand encases her's. "That's.. Thats okay. You can tell me now, baby?"

"M-Max.. She isn't the only one hearing the clock.."

Steve now knows what it feels like to be stabbed in the heart. "W-What?"

The girl rushes. "I-I like haven't seen Vecna yet! But that night at party with Mia.. She died. Then in your car! Where I saw Chrissy, s-she's dead! I can't help and feel like if it won't be Max, it will be me.. I heard more chimes at the funeral— Steve, I'm, like, cursed.."

He doesn't say anything, his watery eyes shut as he takes the girl into a bone crushing hug. "Steve.." He shakes his head, "you're not cursed."

"Steve—"

"You are not cursed, Vera."

The world shakes again, and this time they lose each other.